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From starting out as “Just another kid trying to make it out the H” to being considered one of Houston’s Top Artists of 2017 you can definitely say GT Garza has came a long way. In the past year he started popping up in Slim Thugs IG and before you know it he hit the radio shining like the Astros logo. Now a household name to Texas and striving to be a top Latin artist in the rap game, you can find Garza headlining The Warehouse one of Houston’s hottest venues on the regular. He has the streets anticipating his every move and never let’s you down when droppin’ rhymes whether features or his own projects. His clothing line stays fresh with an Authentic feel to his Latin heritage, La Maquina Empire has no signs of slowing in 2018 unless it’s a Screwed Up version of his newest jams usually blessed by the top DJ’s carrying on DJ Screws legacy!

U$M: Where are you from? What part?

Houston,Tx! Fondren and West A… Southwest Side
U$M: Three things you like about Texas?

The music, the food and the women

U$M: Who influenced your style?

I would say a few artist, the first tapes I heard were Dj Screw and Keke, Da Brat, Do or Die, Bone Thugs and later on I started jammin’ hiphop stuff like Mos def and Talib Kwali and etc.

U$M: Do you feel its harder to go mainstream as a Latin artist… Why?

Nah, I just think it’s about how you approach your music and audience. Right now, there is a ton of Latin artist who are mainstream or getting there. It may have not been like that before, but over the years we have always had a presence
in any genre.

U$M: So what are your likes / dislikes on the current state of the game?

I’m not really into politics, even though it does matter in hip hop. I really fell in love with music, and I think that getting into the music game can make you feel like you just wanna be creative and thats it. It all depends on how far you wanna take it.
U$M: Bring up something that was really successful or a high point in your career so far?

Being able to hang or chop it up with people I use to listen to on my school bus and express to them my side of life and hiphop. We all respect each others craft and that’s a dope thing.

U$M: What’s a typical day like for you?

I wake up, get fresh, listen to new beats and write as much as possible. If I don’t have a show at night, I’ll hit the studio. If I can’t write or hit the studio, I’ll work on merch or some other stuff. I do hang and kick it on my PS4 whenever I need to chill or take my mind of things. Smoke breaks and taking rides through the city to clear my mind.

U$M: How do you respond to the “Back up plan” question?

I’m not saying you have to have one, but if you really want something there should only be the 1st plan. I understand everything doesn’t turn out how we all want it, but if you want something bad enough you’ll find a way to make it work for you and still enjoy why you’re doing it.

U$M: If you had to do it all over again would you still choose this career?

Hell yeah, I took a lot of losses but all of them were life experiences that made me the man I am today.

U$M: Would you do anything different?

Yes, but I don’t wanna speak on that. Just keep ya circle close, watch who around you and go with your gut. Oh and believe in ya self to the fullest.
U$M: What’s your main goal in 2018?

Build my brand, market more and really make the best music I can make… Look for it all atwww.LaMaquinaEmpire.com
U$M: What are your top 5 sneakers?

Space jams, Hurrachi’s, Airmax 95, Iversons, and Diadora

U$M: Who you want to work with in the future?

A bunch of folks, but really whoever I can vibe with and create the best shit with. That really matters to me.

U$M: Give a shout out?

I wanna shoutout the city of screw, my family and friends….the La Maquina Empire and BSG, my fans and supporters, everybody who copped a tape or even jammed a song. I really appreciate it. Stay blessed.

U$M: Thanks for your time GT, we look forward to seeing what the future brings you!
Twitter: @ItzGarza

Dorothy performing at Larimer Lounge on January 24th 2017 for the Rock Is Dead Tour

When you hear the name Dorothy, a lot times a story about a little blond girl looking for The Wizard of Oz comes to mind. By the end of the Rock Is Dead Tour that childhood memory is soon to fade far far away. Are they Rock? No. Are they blues? Not really. Punk? Well, not quite. What is it? They are her and she is them, grim with a melodic whim! Dorothy is a band made up of four members… Lead singer Dorothy Martin along with bassist Gregg Cash, drummer Dylan Howard and guitarist DJ Black!

Though she grew up in San Diego, Dorothy moved to L.A. in pursuit of her dream where the beginning stages of the band began. She started writing with close friends Mark Jackson and Ian Scott but due to the guys personal lives she had to find the right band mates to form a team that brought the same chemistry they had, to fulfill the ultimate goal. A group who made “REAL” music giving the crowd an old school band feel. While Mark started off as band member the road wasn’t for him and who better to replace an original member than some one like DJ Black. He was ready to tour and able to put the rough feel they were looking for behind Dorothy’s sweet delivery of dark lyrics while keeping the strings ablaze. Definitely a Cali girl by nature, but her mystique easily puts her in a category of her own. Watching her live show starts off with a easy entrance as the band warms up and makes way for what’s yet to come. If you’ve seen Dusk Til Dawn then, you can relate! By the middle of the concert Dorothy’s mesmerizing stage presence easily fills the shoes of Selma Hayek‘s unforgettable show she puts on before all hell breaks loose and vampires overtake the night. Which is a perfect fit for the fact that the theme song off her latest album Rock Is Dead which they recently performed on Conan is called Raise Hell!

USM: Who were the inspirations that made you who you are?

Dorothy: All of my dads vinyls! Like Micheal Jackson, Pink Floyd, a lot of Zeppelin. Even like Tina Turner and The Bee Gees. I listen to everything. I was a big Nirvana fan in high school and I really enjoyed the Swedish pop of the ninties. It’s good, it’s good song writing! You gotta love a little Spice Girls, a little Brittany Spears, Back Street Boys…

USM: Amy Winehouse…Dorothy: Amy Winehouse was dope! Rest In Peace.

USM: How long have you been doing music / when did your music career start?

Dorothy: Well I’ve always wanted to be a singer, I was very adamant about it when I was younger. I wasn’t necessarily any good… so I had to work at it(laughs). Really just the last couple years it started snowballing. I started writing music I was really into and… I think we’re still growing. The second album is going to be more personal and even more like… I’m just looking forward to where it goes and what we discover as song writers, the band… how we play it live.
USM: How did you become part of one of the biggest record labels in the world Roc Nation?

Dorothy: I don’t know… I don’t know, you know how these things happen. Someone goes for a meeting and drops a name. George, my manager, basically had a meeting with Jay Brown and showed him a video we just shot ourselves. So if you’re out there and you’re trying, just DIY it and try to get as good as you can on your own and someone will recognize that. They’ll take it a step further if they believe in you. So that’s kind of what happen. That’s my advice to people, we started with no budget, no money… you know just a solid band and a voice and a camera.

USM: It was a pleasure meeting you and hope we get to see you again when you’re in town!

Hey guys, it’s Tee with Undastream Magazine and one of my favorite groups, The Brown Bag Allstars. Koncept, let’s start out with how you all met and when the BBAS became a group?

We all met working at Fat Beats Record store in NY. Started as friends, grew to a family with all the same goals and ambitions. We recorded our first mixtape and pushed it out of the store, so we had a good grasp on what people wanted and how to get it to them. From playing shows almost weekly at venues like The Knitting Factory (when it was in Manhattan), Public Assembly, and Southpaw, we built our brand heavy around the city.

Soul Khan, for those who don’t know, can you tell us who the members of BBAS are, and where you come from?

The members of the group are rapping producers, J57 and Audible Doctor, rapping rappers, Koncept and Soul Khan, producing dj, Deejay Element, and dj’ing number one dad, E Holla. Some folks think we have like 30 members, but I think it’s just because they get easily confused when you change your hat or shirt or something like that. It’s not a different person, I swear. Just the same person in a different outfit. It’s called real life, fam.

J57, where did the name “BROWN BAG ALLSTARS” come from?

We can thank the guy from the Bodega around the block from Fat Beats in Manhattan, because he gave us the name without even realizing it. It’s NY state law for those people selling 22’s and 40 ounces to sell them in a brown paper bag. So we use to buy a ridiculous amount, then go back to the record store and throw a party. The store use to be covered in brown bags to the point that we kinda just knew a group/crew name was born.

Audible Doctor, I think your producers do an excellent job matching beats with your crews rhymes, who does the producing for BBAS?
Thank you! We’ve actually collaborated with a number of established as well as up and coming producers but a majority of the production is handled by myself, J57 & DeeJay Element. I think because we know the group dynamics and the group’s sound so well it’s easier for us as in house producers to put together tracks that really work well for BBAS.

DJ Element, have the BBAS been on tour, when will your next tour kick off and is Denver on the schedule?

Yes. BBAS has been on a U.S. Tour and plan on doing plenty more. Denver is definitely on the list, not because weed is legal but that definitely is a benefit!

E Holla, if you got to pick one person to do a track with, who would it be and why?

If I was an emcee, I’d like to do a track with Method Man, but since I’m not a rapper… I’d settle for DJin’ his set. It would still be dope energy.

Thank you from the Undastream Magazine, to our newest Homies the Brown Bag All-star’s, you can check the guys out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even their own site at www.brownbagallstars.com.

Undastream Magazine’s Tee, Here interviewing, Underground Death Rap legend Necro aka Ron Braunstien, on “The GodFathers”, His newest project, with partner and Gangsta Rap legend Kool G Rap. This collaboration is long overdue with the mainstream’s over saturated state of hip hop. With several dates pushed back and a handful of fans new and old anticipating this album to restore the hardcore underground rap scene, we can all finally get a taste of the good old all or nothing days! Today “The Godfather’s” release the first album from the duo “Once Upon A Crime” which we hopefully see a sequel to.

USM: How did Necro and Kool G Rap become The Godfathers? What was that first meeting like?

Necro: It was my idea to name the group that, we met through Domingo who was friends with my fan Teena, then I met kgr and we clicked, the first meeting I was nervous, cuz I love K.G.R. so much, as an idol, but he was super cool, and it was off to a good start, we drank Henny at Applebee’s, and I abused people while K.G.R. laughed!

USM: Who came up with the name of the group and the album?

Necro: I came up with both, but K.G.R. approved, so when I came up with the ideas, he agreed, really fast, the name is to describe, who we are style wise, we are Godfathers, and the album title is a play off of once upon a time, which is also “Once Upon A Time In America” the gangsta movie.

USM: Word is PLR, Mr.Hyde is the only feature on the album, is that true?

Necro: Yes, just Hyde, he is special like that.

USM: I know there is some GodFathers merch on NECROPRODUCT.COM, will there be more to come?

Necro: I dont know, can’t predict the future now.

USM: What has the fan’s reactions been like since you released “Heart Attack”, the first release off of the new CD entitled “ONCE UPON A CRIME”?

Necro: Fans are loving it, the record is fucking brutal, super dope, I’m very proud of that song, and glad it was the first song fans heard.

USM: Necro, What was it like to exclusively produce “ONCE UPON A CRIME”?

Necro: It was a dream come true, to be able to produce an entire album with K.G.R and myself spitting back and forth, unreal.

USM: How many copies of this cd do you estimate selling?

Necro: I dont know, these days its hard to predict, If we sell 20,000+ that’s dope!

USM: I know G RAP and yourself are both dominate. How were you both able to make decisions on which direction “THE GODFATHERS” would go?

Necro: I give K.G.R. hierarchy over everything, but he is so cool, he lets me decide shit too, So, he treats me like an equal, However, I said that he can make all final decisions out of respect.

USM: Now the question asked by Kool G Rap and Necro fans alike, Will “THE GODFATHERS” tour and if so. Where? and When?

Necro: Not sure at this time, We shall see.

USM: Undastream Magazine, and staff want to thank you for your interview, is there any last words, you would like to add?

ViperWar & Peace Tour Flyer Records, Rhymesayers Entertainment & The Agency Group are proud to announce a nationwide U.S. series of shows entitled the War and Peace Tour, featuring underground Hip Hop legends Immortal Technique and Brother Ali and hosted by the ghetto ambassador Poison Pen. The tour kicks off on September 5th in Redway, CA at the Mateel Community Center and will play over 25 shows ending up at Rock The Bells in New Jersey on October 5th with some of their partners in rhyme (including Diabolic and I Self Divine) to bring fans a concert series not to be missed. Various special guests will appear at different venues, throughout the tour. Special VIP ticket packages including chances to briefly meet/politic with Tech & Ali and also to receive various merchandise and a CD sampler featuring new music from Viper Records artists (including Poison Pen, Hasan Salaam, Da Circle, Akir, Technique).

It’s important that we make this alliance to affirm the notion that Hip Hop music and culture will forever be linked to the people and conditions that birthed it. Every artist on this tour is known for giving incredible live shows that create moments and uplift the spirits of the people. We’re also deeply committed to allowing the music to build community and fight for justice. Immortal Technique and his crew are like family to me. I Self Divine is one of my dearest brothers and mentors. This is the tour I’ve wanted to do for years, and it’s finally a reality.”–Brother Ali

“When I was a kid, I had a master teacher instruct me in the Martial Arts. Ju Jitsu, Street fighting. A plethora of styles to say the least. I will always remember though, what my old master said to me one day, “While you’re smoking weed, someone is running miles. While you’re playing video games, someone is practicing Kata. While you’re hanging out in the street with your friends someone is doing push ups. And when you and this person meet, he’s going to fuckin’ destroy you.” So while you’re reading this we’re doing push ups, running miles and practicing. See you soon.” – Immortal Technique

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The global leader in music rights management, will present the BMI Icon Award to Cash Money’s Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams at the 2013 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, to be held Thursday, August 22, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. The star-studded event, formerly known as the BMI Urban Awards, draws the entire entertainment community together to celebrate the songwriters, producers and publishers of the most-performed r&b/hip-hop songs of the previous year.

BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” As the 2013 honorees, Cash Money’s Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams will join elite ranks that include Mariah Carey, the Jacksons, Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, and Al Green, among others.

“Bryan and Ronald Williams’ creative and entrepreneurial acumen has resulted in over 20 years of global success for them personally, and for their enterprise, Cash Money Records. I’m personally thrilled to recognize two individuals I’ve seen achieve so much success in their careers. Their innate ability to cultivate talent, build and sustain a brand while composing chart-topping songs is an accomplishment worthy of the Icon designation,” said Catherine Brewton, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta.

“It’s absolutely incredible to be honored in this fashion. Cash Money Records is a family first and foremost, and we share this achievement with our entire team and roster. It’s because of the immensely talented artists we’re blessed to work with that we’re in this position, and I want to thank them. They deserve this as much as we do. We also want to thank BMI and everybody who’s ever believed in this dream that my brother and I first had over 20 years ago. We’re going to keep everything going even stronger for the next 20,” said Bryan “Birdman” Williams .

“This recognition from BMI is one of the greatest honors we’ve ever received. It’s something that my brother and I would’ve never been able
to imagine at the genesis of our label. To be recognized by the industry like this, it’s humbling, and it’s inspiring. We want to thank BMI, every artist on our roster, Universal, and anyone else who’s been a part of Cash Money Records’ success,” said Ronald “Slim” Williams.

Despite their immense success in the entertainment industry, the Williams brothers are dedicated to giving back to their community: They have hosted a Turkey Giveaway for the past 16 years, where they personally hand out over 2,000 Thanksgiving turkeys, and at the same event, also provide access to free medical screening.

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Ryme Kryme Family Entertainment started in 2002 by these two deeply rooted street hustlers. Releasing a number of mixtapes (The L.R.C.A. (2002), Bullet Proof Love (2004), I-70 Traffic (2006) they started making a name in the Colorado rap scene. In midst of using music as a medium of getting to the top, they were also letting the street business intertwine a little too closely. Up until 2006 things were moving at a steady pace and their street buzz was starting to add up, Creepy Loc and several other RKF recording artists were targeted, charged and convicted of being part of an organized drug ring. The heartless charm of the game swept a majority of the team off the streets leaving IZM White the only man standing on free soil.

He was able to stay out of jail keeping the label afloat releasing solo projects such as Colorado Crack2007, Heart Of CO2008, More Bars In More Places2009. IZM toured across the U.S. as the opening act for Ghost Face Killah on his Wizard of Poetry tour, as well as touring overseas in Switzerland with Main Flow. In late 2009 Creepy Loc returned home from prison and hit the studio hard, immediatly releasing his debute solo mixtape “Return Of A Rider Vol.1″. Soon after In 2010 IZM and Creepy along with M. Mansin dropped a group project “Red White & Blue”. In 2011, RKF continued their stride by releasing Izm White’s critically acclaimed mixtape “Cloud Surfin” (The Smokers Tape) and Creepy Loc’s “Return Of A Rider Vol.2″. With captivating stage presence and undeniable talent Izm White, Creepy Loc and their label Ryme Kryme Family have became regular opening acts throughout Denver and Aspen, CO for legendary artists such as Nas, Scarface, Mobb Deep and many more…

Izm White:Switzerland and Norway were dope, Switzerland reminds me a lot of Colorado actually. I did a three city tour out there with Main Flow of the Hi Tek Ohio super group MOOD, and one of my own shows in Oslo, Norway. Everyshow we did in Switzerland was dope. The crowds showed mad love, they have a real appreciation for hiphop out there. The people are cool, the weed’s good, and the women are pretty, what more can you ask for. After every show we Flow and I partied hard acting straight fools. Crazy story though: The morning I was gonna head to Chamonix, France to snowboard for a few days before my next show in Oslo. Main Flow and I went to the studio to record a track before I caught the train to Chamonix. After I recorded the track I started vomiting lots of blood, all the way to chamonix I threw up mad blood, once I got there my friend took me to the hospital where they treated me for a bleeding ulcer. I couldn’t eat or drink for 3 days, and all I could have were these little moistureized cotton swabs to suck on while I was on an I.V. I lost a lot of blood and stayed there recovering for 4 days not being able to speak a lick of french. I ended up having to threaten to take the I.V. out my arm on the fifth day because I had a show in Norway that night and was determined to make it. I had never been to Norway and was finally eating some soft foods and feeling better. I had to have the promoter talk to the nurses and I guess she threatened to call the police on them for kidnapping if they wouldn’t let me go on my own will. So they made me sign my life away basically saying the hospital isn’t responsible for my death, and then the old french guy in the bed next to me walked with me outside the hospital to where he could point to where the train statin was at. I thanked him, then went and got on the train to Geneova where I caught the next flight to Oslo, Norway. I only perfomed three songs that night because I was so weak and drained from losing so much blood and not eating, but I still rocked the house and got a lot of love from the fans in Norway. It was a crazy trip I fux with Europe.

USM: Everbody knows IZM love’s to smoke, how happy are you that Colorado legalized marijuana this year?

Izm White: It’s monumental, but long over due! It feels good to enjoy a joint and not be treated like a criminal! Denver now has more weed stores than it has Starbucks and Mcdonalds combine. And I would go even as far as saying Colorado has better weed than Cali, yup I just said it COLORADO HAS BETTER WEED THAN CALI!”

USM: Creepy the first time we heard you rap was on Ryme Kryme Family’s 2004 mixtape “Bullet Proof Love” which was almost 9 years ago, since then you’ve been in and out of prison, released a number of mixtapes and have brought out many national hiphop acts to perform in Denver through your production company RKF Promotions. How have you noticed the game change over the past 10 years?

Creepy Loc: The game has changed drastactlly, its harder now to get noticed, it seems like everyone’s a rapper now a days. And all these kids think they gotta do is record a song on their computer and upload it to Youtube. The era I came up in you actually had to put in work, you had to Show-n-Proove!

USM: What can we expect next from Ryme Kryme Family Ent. as a label?

Creepy Loc: We are gearing up to release IZM White’s debute solo album: (still untitled) which is our main focus right now, but in the meantime we are going to release a new RKF mixtape titled “Welcome 2 the Family”. Also be on the look out for my new mixtape “Return Of A Rider Vol.3”, as well as RKF’s newest addition to the family Lowdy Trail‘s new mixtape “Subconcious Music”. We can’t stop, and wont stop, its RKF4L2D!

If you’re not familiar with Rittz you may think he’s a new artist. You may think because you just found out he signed to Strange Music you’re ahead of the game and know a little something about him. Truth is Rittz came from the bottom, struggling his way to the top during the golden era of hip hop in one of the most acclaimed cities for breeding “What’s hot in hip hop” to this day. While starting to rhyme in the early ninties, Rittz got with his boy Ralo and became part of a group Ralo & Rittz. They imitated Outkast and looked up to the mega giants of Atlanta. He recalls “Outkast, Goodie Mob… It was a great time for Atlanta, to me that music was just classic Atlanta rap shit. That was a great time in music.”

Being from Gwinnett County wasn’t quite the place to be from to claim street cred as a rapper. In the nineties the upper North East suburb of Atlanta wasn’t recognized for creating famous rappers. “There was a little bit of a line drawn because I live in the suburbs of Atlanta so the line was drawn where I was from than actually being in Atlanta.” He dropped out of high school and hit moments in his life when times were getting really scary for him. He had set forth to become a famous rapper and if this didn’t happen, he nods his head rather not wanting to think of what could have been the outcome if his time didn’t come and Strange Music didn’t added him to the roster.

USM: What were the politics of coming up in the Atlanta rap game?

Rittz: The formula was really getting a song, trying to get it played on the radio or in the strip club. So it was a lot of grimy shows, where you’re standing all night in trap spots waiting to perform two songs. Then there was so many trends in Atlanta with Atlanta being on top of the rap game for so long. You had Crunk, then Snap, and then the Trap shit. It was hard being me making the type of music I make to get on. I finally got on the radio in 2007 and that’s when I started getting a little push. I was with Chrome Recordings, a label I was with then. We just got on the Battle Grounds, a little contest they do on 107.9 where if you win 5 nights in a row they retire your track.

USM: What track was that?

Rittz: It was song called “770” the area code where I’m from. So everyone in the 770 were calling in and requesting that song. I was reppin real hard cause Atlanta didn’t fuck with Gwinnett. Now it’s changed, they gotta say the North Side. Before they’d say “South to the East Side West Side”. Now you’ll here it mentioned with the different rappers being from different areas. It was crazy but after that everything just kind of fell flat.

USM: What did you do between that and Strange Music?

Rittz: I did a lot of things career wise, different managers different opportunities all through out just grinding. My manager Scender was in a group with Yelawolf“The Dixie Mafia”. Scender was Yela’s homie, when he moved to Atlanta he looked up local rappers, seen my shit. It was through him that me and Yelawolf hooked up. Me and Yela were kinda rappin’ comin up on the Atlanta seen. He was coming up pretty big and I was trying to get down to where he was doing his shit at. We ended up being tight. He got me the studio time to do “White Jesus” and gave me the opportunity to come off his momentum by putting me on “Box Chevy Pt. 3”. I did the Slumerican Tour and was just pushing “White Jesus”.

USM: Where did your title “The Life And Times Of Jonny Valient” come from?

Rittz: It’s just a nickname I had growing up. My names Jonny and my homeboys would just call me that. I put out “White Jesus” on some nickname shit. I wanted a title that was going to be controversial, but with this I wanted it to be something that was more about my life. To let people in on me, exactly Rittz. I kind of knew I wanted to name it that because before the Yelawolf thing I was going to name my album “Jonny Valiant Vol. 0”. That just never happened, those songs got shelved and I came out with “White Jesus”. So I kinda knew what I was gonna name it.

USM: After a long road, your debut album hits the stores 4/30/13… is that your main focus right now?

Rittz: Yea I’ve been focusin’ like a motha fucker. Basically I got off the Slumerican Tour with Yelawolf November 17th. I had then until the end of December to write the album. I write slow… it takes me awhile. So I was under pressure, I wrote a lot on the bus but not enough. The pressure was on as soon as I got back in town. I got Thanksgiving out of the way and it was just like bang. Plus you gotta have bonus tracks so all together I have like twenty something songs. With the stress of my first album and getting it done, being with a new label, and then with the Independent Powerhouse Tour coming up. It was just a lot of shit going on at once, but now I’m just happy to be on the road, album bout to come out… a little bit of pressures easin’ off.

You could feel the weight of Jonny Valiant’s past lift off his shoulder’s as we finished up the interview and he proceeded with his day on tour with Strange. He started as an underdog in one of the biggest rap mecca’s and finally grasp his dream because he never gave up. He fought strong to the top and at the end of the day he’s signed to largest independent label in the world. You can say what you want about Mr. Rittz but at this moment anyone who ever doubted him is looking back like man that’s the guy who we never thought would make it. Although he carry’s his swag to the fullest in his latest video’s such as “Like I Am”… in person he carry’s himself with utmost humble respect. For tomorrow you will get to hear the full story on “The Life And Times Of Jonny Valiant”. You can cop that at www.strangmusicinc.net or any of your local retailers. Lift your cup to a true vet!

USM: Any last words?

Rittz: I just really want to say thanks, thanks to everyone who fucks with me! This rap shit not easy… at all. That 21 years of grindin is real shit. I’m really appreciative of anything I got going on, anybody who gives me attention, or interested and listens to my music it’s a big deal.

As the third anniversary of Guru death make it’s desolate cycle, the hearts of many loyal hiphop fans still live with the somber untimely death like it was yesterday. So many unanswered questions still only known to Solar who was at the center of the controversy. Did he do what was right? Was this really what Guru wanted? Has his family made mends with him? Does his decisions still haunt him to this day?… Well, really only he can answer those questions… Will he?

Most likely not. After Guru’s death he basically went into hiding. Claiming he was going to revamp Jazzmatazz and keep Guru’s dream alive. Nobody has heard any of that. His twitter account was hacked and in 2010 after a series of tweets degrading himself by the hacker nothing else was done to fix that, to clean up his name. He has seemed to give up what he said he was going to do. No tweets from Guru’s account since 2010 have popped for any reason either… Does somebody have access to that account… It’s verified by twitter! Yet nobody knows how to feel about the legend passing. Is it anger, or pure grief that his exit was filled with such controversy? We can’t put a finger on it but at some point we need to release him to eternal peace and let the past be the past. Guru obviously had love for Solar he was with him day in and day out for the last 6 years of his life. He managed his career and from the emails, people got a devious vibe from what he was trying to set up as if he was using Guru and walking all over him. Was he just being a manager trying to keep him afloat? They toured through Europe and the U.S. together. Will he ever release more music they had made that still exists? So many unanswered questions with so little closure. Will the recluse come back out and try to justify his actions. If so, he possibly would have tried to already.

As far as what really matters is he was one of the greats. His death resides in special place in the heart of hip hop just as Tupac, Biggie, and many other legends that lost their life before their time. It takes it to another level such as Elvis or Michael Jackson, to the point where we don’t even want to believe they died. Of course that’s what music is about, that the soul lives forever through music which at this point through technology will never go anywhere. We hope this interview may answer some questions, maybe give you a better understanding as to what they were going for with the music they were creating. You see the love they had for each other as you’ll hear Guru refer to Solar as “Lord” and “God” several times. Which is nothing out of the ordinary for East Coast slang, but they must have built a relation that they set in motion to create the last of Guru’s collection of music. What’s really the truth as far as Solar is concerned only Guru and Solar and maybe some of his family know, but after a few months of his death it was just… silence. DJ Premier spoke out unhappily about the situation.

I hear the cocky side of Solar in this interview as he interrupts Guru a few times and at the same time I hear someone who is actually really saying something. Of course Guru could kill it in just one sentence where as Solar took his time to get his point across. I do hear empathy coming from him but at the same time it’s his way of thinking that is the truth in their world. It sounds to me like his beliefs is what you’re suppose to go by, as he expresses himself with such confidence. That may be why Guru grasped him as his manager feeling he was ailing so much that he needed a strong person behind him. To the point where he said “Here’s the keys, you drive”. He sat back and let him do the hard part to make it easier for him to do what he did best. Spit ill poetry to the people he raised as the first generation of Hip Hop. Your Voice Lives On Forever! RIP GURU

In 2003 he spit his first freestyle while out a house a party. From there it was a snowball effect of practicing and writing rhymes that led him to the decision he made to give up all the fun stuff and actually become a performer. In 2005 he came out with the mixtape series “Mixtapes Most Wanted” which had 2 volumes to the collection. U.T.I.C.A. reminisces… “It was all jackin’ for beats. Back then in the mixtape game that was new and that’s basically how people figured the format was at the time.” Little did he know this would actually be a future career move.

Getting noticed by Nino of Stellar Music Entertainment, a local tycoon who’s been in the Denver rap scene for over a decade. Nino felt the lack of organization and business ethic in Denver’s music industry, deciding it was time to make his artists actually sign record deals. Offering the artists studio time, quality videos, and topnotch quality graphic design from the labels in-house graphic company N-Lyne Designs in exchange for his piece of the pie of the artists music. In 2010 U.T.I.C.A. signed a legitimate record deal with SME. Since has released two professional projects, several music videos and has learned to work at a pace which consists of sticking to schedules, meeting expectations of not only his label but of the fan base he since built.

USM: How did you link up with Nino and sign to Stellar?

U.T.I.C.A.: I came across Nino in 2007. I had freshly did a project. He reached out to a fellow artist of mine. So it was through a mutual friend at the time. I did some work back in 2010 with Young Cracka on a video called “They Don’t Like Me”. Later in 2010 after the video I officially signed to SME.

USM: Tell me about your rise to success with Stellar. What projects and videos have you done?

U.T.I.C.A.: I started a 3 part series with my first album release being “The Nomination”. Then came “The Campaign” which was my second release. I shot 3 videos off that album. I shot one for “Say Yeah Pt. 2”. I dropped one for “Dreams”. Then I shot one for “Shining Star” featuring Jonathan Carey. Right now I’m working on a project that’s all original “The Revolution” which is the last of a three part series and ends the saga.

USM: Which tracks are you really grasping off the project “The Revolution”?

U.T.I.C.A.: It’s early in it’s stages right now. But this track we’re shooting the video for “We Be Mobbin”… it’s just one of those joints I got from Chef Premier. It was like real easy to just whip something up for it. It’s an inspiring track that I just go straight bars on.

USM: Break a line down out of the song for me…

U.T.I.C.A.: I have a part that says “They say that this life’s a bitch / Well I think that saying is over used / The time for change has been overdue / So don’t play the game if you ain’t know the rules / Like Juice said we’s built to win / But coming in we was born to lose / So be who ever that you want to be / and you can do whatever it is that you want to do!” Basically just saying I get tired of cats saying “Life’s a bitch” or this and that. It’s more just saying get up and get yours. If that’s the case you can do what you want to do and be who you want to be. You just got to do it and get to it!

USM: Where do you get your name from and what’s behind that?

U.T.I.C.A.: Well it’s an acronym for Undeniably The Illest Cat Around but I get the name because that’s the block I grew up on a majority of my life. Shout out to the “U” Block. Really I’m a regular dude that wants to do extraordinary things, but at the time there’s a dude inside me that’s very flashy that every now and then comes out. That can take control of the situation and grab attention. Performing has always been in my blood. I used to be a singer but after pounds of marijuana I just kind of lost it. (laughs)

U.T.I.C.A.: The scene in Denver is finally starting to build some character and grow. We’re always gonna be a melting pot. I don’t think we’ll ever have a sound, a specific sound. We’re always gonna be a place where you can grab from here, you can grab from there. I like it, lyricists are stepping their bars up, performers are stepping their performances up. Bands are making great music. There’s still kinks and bugs we can work out. We’re definitely headed in the right direction.

USM: What’s U.T.I.C.A.’s niche in the game?

U.T.I.C.A.: I make feel good music. I have a knack to make songs that are catchy, but at the same time I feel like you have to cover a variety of subjects. If you’re happy when the song comes on and you start moving and you’re happy after that track, that’s what I really want to make.

USM: Any shout outs?

U.T.I.C.A.: Shouts to first of all my Stellar team. www.stellarmusicent.com Holla at Nino and N-Lyne Designs check them out. Holla at Young Cracka for features. My boy Sid Madrid. Shouts to Midnight Run, Jeremy Pape, John Carey of course, Clearview Films and 8ight Tha Sk8. Unda$treaM Magazine appreciate you very much. Everybody I forgot apologies but much love and respect to everyone that supports our movement out here.